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Pep Guardiola always would have had some level of squad overhaul planned when he took over the Manchester City reigns and those plans are seemingly picking up pace with the news that Germany’s Leroy Sane will be the next player to move to The Etihad.
City are believed to have tabled a bid of £37m to Sane’s current employers Schalke and that figure should now be enough to see Sane make his move to the Premier League.
The German international has been long time courted by a string of Premier League clubs with City’s cross town rivals United and Chelsea known to have been the movements of the 20 year old but it’s Pep Guardiola who has managed to get to the front of the queue.
It will be quite the whirlwind 12 months for Sane, he helped lead his country to the European Championship Semi Finals when only making his international debut last November and now a big money move awaits the 20 year old.
The fact that Schalke once again failed to qualify for the Champions League meant that Sane officially declared his intention to leave earlier in the Summer and his performances at Euro 2016 would have definitely put him in the shop window.
The midfielder registered 8 goals in 33 Bundesliga appearances last season as Schalke could only finish in 5th and soon to be new boss Pep Guardiola will be hoping that there is more of the same in the lighter blue of Manchester.
What will Sane offer City. One thing for certain is that he will help lower the average age of a squad that was showing signs of weariness in the final days of the Manuel Pellegrini era.
His price tag will no doubt carry a weight of expectation but in today’s transfer market £37m could be deemed somewhat of a snip for one off Europe’s most sought after transfer targets.
City have a well stocked midfield department but there was often problems with form and fitness in that area of the pitch last season. With Samir Nasri, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne all spending prolonged periods in the physio’s room.
Not only will Sane bring youthful exuberance but he will also keep those players named above on their toes as there will be no room for complacency or guarantees of first team football if players don’t pull their weight in the Guardiola era.
And it’s weight that seems to be a big issue at The Etihad with Samir Nasri falling foul of not meeting the fitness requirements set by the former Barcelona and Bayern boss.
With Nasri overweight he is not allowed to train with the first team at present and that certainly will not help his chances of getting back in the starting eleven, if anything it could very well push him nearer the exit door.
With the addition of Sane imminent you have to wonder how an already marginalised Nasri will fit into a matchday squad. You would have to say on the bench at best. The question now is whether or not Nasri has the appetite to fight for his place back.
